Chicken keeps sitting down, not walking well

[Angie Christine]

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  My chicks are only a few weeks old. I have one doing this too. Waddles a lot and then sits down. She eats but isn't getting around like the others. Is she sick or should I seperate her? Help needed too.

 

[karengoslin]

Hello my chicken is doing the same. She is about 3 months old and prefers to sit to drink and eat. She can walk and is healthy looking. Can you tell me what you found out about the problem

Thanks...I dont know how old this post is so I hope you are still there..I'm new and havent been on this site before

Karengoslin

 

[Angie Christine]

Hello Karen,
I am sorry to hear you are having this problem. Unfortunately my chick was only a few weeks old. I did separate her for a few more weeks, but it continued. She wasn't growing like the others. I ended up euthanizing her which I ended up crying for hours after. I did it in a VERY humane way. Probably more for me then for the chicken. (Baking soda and vinegar in an enclosed tub put her to sleep) But after much research I did find that they can slip a ligament in their leg. If your chick lets you pick her up you can carefully pull on her leg. Doing this a few times a day and you may be able to get the ligament to pop back into place. I had no idea what I was doing as I am new to this as well. Mine are now about 2 1/2 months old now and STILL in HUGE boxes in my basement as we are waiting for the barn to be delivered from an Amish shed builder. I think if they just sit to eat and drink that should be ok. Mine couldn't walk and kept falling over and trying to use her wings to balance and so she was giving up on food unless I moved it right to her. I would/should have spent more time doing the leg stretching thing but I guess I lived and learned and life goes on and I have 7 very happy healthy girls. Good luck!

 

[junebuggena]

Hello my chicken is doing the same. She is about 3 months old and prefers to sit to drink and eat. She can walk and is healthy looking. Can you tell me what you found out about the problem

Thanks...I dont know how old this post is so I hope you are still there..I'm new and havent been on this site before

Karengoslin

It might be a Cornish Cross. They grow so big, so fast that there legs simply can not hold them any more. And their hearts are weak from supporting such a large body.

 

[karengoslin]

Thank you so much for this information. I'm so sorry you had to put your chick to sleep. It must have been upsetting but youwere very brave and did the best thing you could at the time and now you have passed this info to me and maybe this could be what is wrong and it may save me putting mine down..thanks a million. Can you remember whether the article gave clues to detect whether it really is that? I have noticed the longer she sits the less she can walk, as if something has become stiff so maybe thats a symptom? I actually have some ligament problems in a few places and I know that massage and exercise loosens them.
Thanks again Kareng

 

[karengoslin]

Hello everyone who replied to my chicken problem.

I mentioned that my chicken wasn't walking well, sat down most of the time and was bigger than the other chickens the same age. This is what it turned out to be:-

My Chicken became a Rooster. He turned into a Rhode Island Red but certainly didn't look much like one when he was younger (I have had them before ) He turned into the most spectacular#r Rhode Island Red. Massive, massive legs with a fantastic set of feathers that were truly luminous in the sun. He was enormous, twice the size of any Rooster I have seen. He was friendly too. He was superb, I named him Rupert.

Rupert made such a loud cokadoodledoo that neighbours complained, I could understand it because he sounded like he was being amplified! I then had the enormous task of finding him a permanent home. I contacted 53 farms within a 150 mile vicinity but none would take him. I didn't realise what a bad deal Roosters had. Many of the replies said I would probably not find him a home because of course when someone has one, they don't have two. I took him to a place called Graves End Park in Sheffield, Yorkshire England. Near to my house. This place kept fine specimens of all sorts of breeds of chickens as well as rare breed pigs, goats, Ducks, Turkeys etc etc. They were open to the public mainly to take children there. It was my last hope really. As soon as the owner saw Rupert, he snapped him up!! He said he was "quite something" so, Rupert has a beautiful home with 9 lady Chickens and is as happy as can be

I think that Rupert was originally suffering from something that young teenagers can get....growing pains....He turned into such an enormous size that I think there was a stage that couldn't handle it in his development hence the sitting down and choosing not to walk.and walking oddly when he did.

Thank you all for your help and advice at the time xxxx

 

[chickster11]

I found a chick who was about 2 months old she wasn’t walking much at all and when she did she was standing straight up and waddling like a penguin I don’t know if that’s the same problem but I’ve just been giving her vitamins and lots of bugs and she seems to be getting stronger. For some reason I found another chick today from our younger lot who’s lost soem weight and just keeps laying around and sleeping (no idea why tho).
Maybe try helping her stand just so she can get some strength and balance.

 

[chickster11]

Thank you so much for this information. I'm so sorry you had to put your chick to sleep. It must have been upsetting but youwere very brave and did the best thing you could at the time and now you have passed this info to me and maybe this could be what is wrong and it may save me putting mine down..thanks a million. Can you remember whether the article gave clues to detect whether it really is that? I have noticed the longer she sits the less she can walk, as if something has become stiff so maybe thats a symptom? I actually have some ligament problems in a few places and I know that massage and exercise loosens them.
Thanks again Kareng

I found a chick who was about 2 months old she wasn’t walking much at all and when she did she was standing straight up and waddling like a penguin I don’t know if that’s the same problem but I’ve just been giving her vitamins and lots of bugs and she seems to be getting stronger. For some reason I found another chick today from our younger lot who’s lost soem weight and just keeps laying around and sleeping (no idea why tho).
Maybe try helping her stand just so she can get some strength and balance.

What ended up happening to the chicken